A Young Master in Training
by Florida's Firefly
Summary: A collection of drabbles about Shifu's cubhood days, both before and after his arrival at the Jade Palace.
1. One Mile Runaways

_NOTE: You __**will **__benefit from reading what has been so far written of "The First Step" in regards to a few OCs mentioned in these drabbles. I recently started a "drabble challenge" where I found a list of words and phrases I'm using for themes. For each theme, I've been writing a little blurb/drabble. They've all been _Kung Fu Panda_ so far, some with my original characters, some little young Shifu, and even some with little Netra (if you read "The Master's Eyes" you know who that is). I thought I'd take the drabbles of little Shifu and post them as they come along. :D_

_Just so ya'll know, Shifu's age might be jumping all over the chart here, depending on what drabbles come to me when. In one chapter he may be 9 and in the next he may be four… Bear with me, this is a good exercise. :D Also keep in mind that Shifu was six when Koto was killed._

_Enjoy!_

_**One-Mile Runaways**_

_**Shifu's age: 6 yrs (Koto's still alive)**_

"Shifu!" Benjirou whispered as loudly as he could up to his friend's window, throwing the occasional pebble at it. "C'mon!"

Some slight rustling was heard before he saw the moonlit head of the red panda cub stick out to stare at him. "You're late!" he whispered back.

"I had to wait 'til my sisters were asleep! They'd squeal on me if I didn't! You ready to—AAH!!" The otter pup leapt out of the way when a knapsack came flying out of the window and almost landed on top of him. Shifu then followed suit, landing a kung fu flip in front of his friend. "_Shh!_" he snapped. He grabbed his knapsack and the two boys quickly scurried off into the night. "Is Taplo comin'?" Shifu whispered.

"He's meeting us just outside his house. You got the food?"

Shifu smiled and patted his bag. "I got better than that – I got the last of the sesame cookies!"

Going as quietly as they could, they headed for the outskirts of the village. It wasn't long until a familiar little goral scampered from the bushes with his own knapsack. "If our dads find out about this…" he whimpered. "About us crossing the borders—!"

"Taplo, you slowpoke, c'mon!" Benjirou teased. "Last one to the raft's a little girl!"

The moment the boys were out of earshot of most of the farmhouses, they picked up speed and headed for the farthest reaches of the Zongxian River, where the rice paddies dwindled out into muddy marshlands. The boundaries of the Valley were marked with a dense shrub along the perimeter. Beyond that, however, the river continued to flow through miles and miles of estuary wetlands before eventually dumping itself out into the Pacific. This was just where Shifu and his friends were headed – out towards the docks of far-off Taiwan to become seafaring officers.

Once they finally reached the river border, the three runaways veered off into a deep cushion of vines among the trees, where a fisherman's raft sat securely with ropes tied around its two front corners. Dropping their knapsacks onto the bamboo-logged deck, they instantly proceeded to start and pull the raft out onto the water.

"I can't believe we're finally getting outta here," Benjirou smiled.

Shifu pulled at one rope with him. "Benji, how'd you convince your dad to let us borrow one of his rafts?"

The otter pup's eyes shifted back and forth slightly. "Uhhh…well, I didn't really…exactly _convince_ him of anything…"

Taplo would've gawked open-mouthed at him if he wasn't still clenching the other rope with his teeth. "You mean you nebber _tolt_ im?"

"Yeah, right. 'Hey, Baba, can we take one of your rafts to hightail it off the borders?'" Benjirou rolled his eyes. He hopped onto the raft with them as they finally pulled it onto the water. "Hey, I mean, once we're officers and we're captaining a bigger boat, we'll bring it back to 'im!"

Shifu stood at the head of the raft with his arms authoritatively behind his back, feeling like this vessel was truly his. "Unfurl the sails, Lieutenant Taplo! Weigh anchor, Commander Benji!"

"Aye, Captain!" they barked in unison and went about performing their duties. Within the minute, they had shoved off from shore and were well on their way up the river.

"Whoo-hoo!" Benjirou shouted and waved his coolie hat at the village. "So long, Valley of Peace!"

"So long, Valley!" Shifu cheered.

"We're off to Taiwan!" Taplo called with an enthusiastic tap of his hooves. The small raft slid past the boundaries of the secure little Valley, and the boys soon found themselves floating through the harbored wetlands with nothing but a fresh enthusiasm for what lay ahead of them.

None of them could've guessed that mingling in the sulfuric shadows of the banks, it was a pair of glassy, yellow eyes barely peeking out the water and simply waiting for its moment.

_Oooooyyyyy!! How many of ya'll know __**that **__trip's gonna be cut short? Sorry ya'll, I'm not expanding on that ending as far as I know… They don't die, though, I assure you. I have to give credit to the opening scene of Disney's _Tom and Huck_. It inspired me to write a story of three boondocks-raised boys stealing away in the dead of night to become big-city seafarers. :D_


	2. A Warrior's Heart, A Purple Heart

_**A Warrior's Heart, A Purple Heart**_

_**Shifu's age: 5 yrs**_

Koto was thunderstruck and just flat staggered with the realization that here, even in the safest of Valleys and with the fighting skills beyond his young age – that his son wasn't safe from all harm. All of the captain's military forces and all of the rope bridges of the Thread of Hope had no power when it came to the potential threat of Shifu's peers.

The young father had never remembered seeing anything like it. It had only been a few weeks since five year-old Shifu had openly attacked a couple of verbally bullying piglets in defense of little Lin Lin. Although it had afterwards earned the cub a scolding on unjust fighting, Koto was also proud of his son for willingly protecting her in the face of threat.

But for the piglets, it was only a matter of unfinished business. The moment they got the chance, they rounded up four of their buddies and arranged for payback. And – cornering the cub in an alley behind the tailor shop – sought after just that.

Shifu attempted to fight back with everything he had in his little arms and legs, but he was no match against six opponents at one time as the assault began.

They had hit. They had kicked. They had punched. They had bruised. They had mercilessly forced him into the dirt, laughing at his constant struggles and shouts to stop, please stop.

He didn't cry when they finally decided to stop the attack and stood back to stare at him reduced to a shaking ball of dirty white fur curled up against the wall. He didn't cry when they turned and left him completely alone in the stale silence. But it was when he saw his father come around the corner at the mouth of the alley that his rock façade shattered. Here, now in the presence and security of his baba, the cub burst into tears.

Koto, who had been searching for his son around the square for the last fifteen minutes, was beside him within two seconds and was holding him in his open arms within four.

He had hardly seen him cry harder and longer. Not only had the experience been painful to say the least, but it had also terrified the wits out of the poor cub. Shifu curled up in his father's arms and instantly buried his face against the green burlap of the captain's robe. Koto carried his son off, speaking to him gently to calm his cries and praising him for his bravery.

There was one place he needed to go before taking Shifu home.

The red panda captain quickly ran up the thousand stairs leading to the Jade Palace. He found Jin, his assistant, at his usual post at the gate. "Jin!" he called.

The brown goose stood to attention as the captain approached, and only noticed his cub curled up in his arms and in such bad shape when they got closer. "Captain Koto!" He ran out to meet him. "Sir, what happened to—??"

"Never mind that, I need to speak with Master Oogway," Koto demanded.

Jin made no other attempt to find out what was wrong. "Yes, sir, right away." He turned and flapped wildly up to the palace.

By the time Jin had come back and Koto had gone in to speak with his master, Shifu was still whimpering and clinging to his father's robe, which he had long since drenched with tears and snot.

After Koto had explained things to him, Oogway told him to take off as much time as he needed to stay home and tend to his son, and also provided him with a medicinal herbal paste for Shifu's cuts.

"Shifu, my boy?" the old tortoise gently tried to convince the cub to at least look at him. The cub didn't even lift his head. But neither Oogway nor Koto could blame him.

With that, the elder red panda left the palace with his cub in his arms and the little bottle of medicinal paste pocketed in his sash. The sweet light of a golden sunset began to overtake the Valley and vendors along the main road were beginning to close shop. The moment they got into the humble house, Koto tended Shifu's wounds and washed the dirt from his fur. He was slightly surprised how his son didn't resist the bath that evening. But it wasn't until halfway through dinner that the cub rubbed his eyes, whimpered, and told his father that he wanted to go to bed.

What remained of Koto's heart melted when he got the old "pick me up" stance of sorrowful eyes and outstretched arms. Shifu was asleep against his baba's shoulder before Koto got him to his bed mat.

When he woke in the morning, he instantly realized that Koto had let him slept in. All the better… His head and arms still _really_ hurt. He practically stumbled out of bed. He expected to see his father working away at breakfast. Instead, though, it was a certain gray goose with crazy eyebrows working his scrolls at the table.

"Master Xue?"

The old gray goose turned to look at him. "Ah," he smiled. "Good morning, young one, are you feeling better?"

Shifu didn't seem to hear the question as he glanced around the room. "Did Baba go to the palace? I-I thought he—"

"Oh, no, Master Oogway allowed him leave until you were completely better, you heard right. He'll be back before noon… He left this morning saying something about speaking to the parents of those little scamps that gave you trouble yesterday."

Uh-oh.


	3. Girls, Ugh!

_**Girls, Ugh!**_

_**Shifu's age: 4 yrs**_

"Shifu, son, come here a moment!"

Wasting no time upon hearing his father's order, Shifu paused his play with Taplo and Benjirou to go to his father. "Sir?"

Koto brought a paw to his son's shoulder, motioning the other to the adult red panda standing before him. "Shifu, this is Mr. Yu Déshí. We were good friends when I was your age. Déshí, this is my son, Shifu."

This Déshí seemed to be the same age as Koto, with a much more gray tint to the red in his fur. He had light green eyes that sparkled kindly as he shook Shifu's hand. "An honor, Shifu," he smiled. He then brought his arm back to lay his hand on another figure that Shifu hadn't yet noticed. "This," he smiled, "is my daughter, Sun."

And the moment was shot for Shifu. He grimaced at her sheer, disgusting…_adorableness _as she sweetly shook his father's hand.

She wore a little red dress with golden-colored trim and her pastel green eyes – clearly from her father – glittered as she smiled. _Ugh_, it made his teeth hurt! He tensed when he heard his father speak up. "Sun, this is Shifu."

"Hello, Shifu," she smiled courteously. "It's very nice to meet you."

Quicker than anything, Shifu had ducked behind his father. Koto glanced down at his cub, who was clinging quite heavily to his robes. "Shifu, she said 'hello'. Don't you think you should say something back?"

Shifu knew what it was he was _supposed_ to say, but to an annoying, bubbly, prissy _girl_? He merely looked up at his father and wrinkled his nose in disgust. _That's not a little girl, that's a _girly _girl!_

This was met by a stern glare. "None of that, young man," Koto scolded. "You behave and say hello like a proper _siang shen_."

The cub's ears went back and he pouted, defeated. No use fighting the "young man" card… Lowering his eyes to the ground, he stepped out to stand before Sun. He glanced once more at Koto, who frowned and motioned with his head to go on. Shifu folded his arms behind his back and listlessly shuffled the dirt beneath his feet. "…Hel'o…" he muttered dully.

He finally got the mettle to look up at her…and was stunned by what he saw.

Little Sun had her hand out, her ears halfway back, her eyes narrowed in a glare, and her snout wrinkled in frustration. _I don't like you either, so just shake and get it over with, you creep!_

Shifu's ears went down at this…and it freaked him out enough to reach out and force his hand to take hers.

_Augh, it burns, it burns!! _He winced.

The next time he looked at Sun, she had her mask of total innocence and sweetness on again. She giggled.

The very moment she loosened her grip, Shifu retreated back beside his father. Koto gave him a subtle wink. He could sympathize with how a small boy thought of any girl at that young age.

Shifu looked at his hand. _Gross, gross, gross. _He was going to _ask_ for a bath tonight.

---

_For those of you who thought of it, yes – this was inspired by Bambi. :)_


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